The HTC M7 is expected to be the device which returns HTC to its former glory. The first time we heard about the phone was when news broke that HTC was sourcing enough components from its suppliers to build 4 to 5 million HTC M7s in the first quarter of 2013. While HTC typically waits until Mobile World Congress to unveil its flagship device, the latest rumor that’s floating around the web claims that HTC will be unveiling the M7 next week at CES and that the device will feature on-screen buttons.

By some indirect information M7 might be announced on CES event. Moreover it might have screen buttons instead of hardware touch buttons...@football4pda

If the rumor turns out to be true, it’ll be the first time that HTC debuts a global phone at CES. But we have our doubts. Currently, HTC does not have a press event scheduled for the week of CES and the company doesn’t have a booth on the show floor. If we were planning to launch a new flagship Android phone at CES, those would be two standard requirements if we wanted to give the phone the exposure it deserves.

We expect HTC will hold off on announcing the HTC M7 for a little while longer. If HTC is still planning on bringing the phone to market in Q1, HTC has more than enough time to schedule its own event sometime between CES and MWC which would maximize media coverage without the distractions which accompany the major trade shows. We’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out.

I agree that it has to be CES! CES is the key event that whets the electronic appetites for electronics fans all over! With Sony bringing the Xperia Z series, Samsung rumored to bring flexible screens, HTC would be remiss to miss the major opportunity to launch something awesome at the beginning of 2013 alongside competitors, and thus giving them a leg up. C’mon HTC, launch at CES!

I get the feeling companies like HTC (and not Apple) who are primed for major releases sometimes release devices in smaller markets (like Australia) to get consumers to ‘beta’ test for any issues before releasing it into major global markets?

Agreed. Hopefully the moderate success of the One series (even if it was shadowed by the near-simultaneous launch of the SGS3) gives them enough clout back in the eyes of the carriers to not have to bend over and take it every which way.

It looks like with all these leaks (intentional or not) HTC is already gathering positive interest in the device. Maybe with their new head of marketing on board, this is the new approach to cause a little stir?

HTC needs to launch something new as soon as possible with CES being a great place to do it. It would be a different story if they had launched the DNA on all carriers instead of just Verizon since that is a great device…

The sad thing is that en EVO M7, Droid M7 or even a myTouch M7 would be much better than what we have now. HTC has said that it is changing that way it is negotiating with carrier partners. Hopefully that means that HTC gets to sell the phone they want to sell rather than creating custom devices for each U.S. service provider.

I have to assume it’s more expensive for a manufacturer to make similarly-specced custom models for each carrier. Wouldn’t it be easier to make a phone that looks/behaves the same on Verizon/ATT/Sprint?

The S3 was a win/win for carriers, Samsung, and consumers. I played with my friend’s US Cellular S3 and it made me want to pick one up through Verizon, who I currently use. We’re beyond the days of jumping ship from carrier to carrier just for the sake of a killer phone.

agreed, i would’ve been a proud owner of a one S if it wasn’t for that. though chances are HTC isnt looking to change that up anytime soon, forcing me to skip on the M7 and reluctantly get the galaxy s IV.

I don’t like the way they take up the space on screen, the only on- screen buttons I like is the ones in tablets and Paranoid android Roms – integrated with the notification bar- they saves space and makes the notification bar available even when playing a video (haven’t used a tablet but PA does it) which I feel is pretty convenient.

HTC and on screen keys?!? If this comes with the rumored 4.7″ 1080P display, at least 2300mah battery, 32gb of internal storage, unlocked, and aluminum body, I will jump on it so fast. I’m assuming it will be released as a global phone or at least a At&t or t-mobile capable device. Hopefully it’ll be reasonably priced. I’m gonna start saving my pennies. The 2 I have are lonely anyway…

Just about… though I’d certainly suggest saving the money in some other form. It would be a heavy burden to haul that many pennies to the store. But I bet it wouldmake for a great face on the employee who got handed them:P

This would be great for HTC, would have even been better if they could have had the hardware ready sooner and got Google to use this as a Nexus phone. But they need this out ASAP, I agree that it will be better between CES and MWC tho!

If the phone isn’t going to be available until February or March, I think it would be a better move to save the announcement for later. If you announce the phone with a launch date that’s only 10-15 days down the road, the press will be talking about it non-stop the whole time. That builds a lot of hype among consumers and translates into increased sales without the need to spend a lot of money on marketing.

It’ll be nice to finally see some on screen buttons. I think that the best thing to do is to have the event after CES but then immediately follow it up with a release that is at the most only two weeks after the announcement and a worldwide release at that. I can’t wait for what they have in store for us because I really want to see HTC do well. Also, the marketing needs to step up its game and showcase the device and what it can do for customers, make it relateable to the user.

I understand why some people hate on screen buttons (couldn’t these phones just come with a few more pixels of height to appease those people?) but I like how it puts the screen front and center. It makes the phone feel much more balanced and symmetrical! Combine that with HTC’s design, and well HTC will have another winner. Hopefully, by the time it gets to consumers it will be called something like the HTC X2, it make people know it is a follow up to a already great product!

They have mostly. Phones used to just be 16:10 but the ones that are 16:9 to me are too tall proportionately. Add in on-screen keys and bam, aspect ratio is back to normal and as a bonus they can disappear for video viewing. Sounds perfect to me.

I think CES is a solid choice to unveil their next phone. But, I’ll also argue that MWC might be better. The MWC is about a month and half away. If HTC announces at that time with a good release date not long after that, then HTC can grab the headlines in the news just in time when some mobile users are thinking about upgrading.

The maximum exposure is best attained when the company announces a product and follows it with a short delay before the actual release of the product. This way the company enjoys maximum coverage from the various news outlets. Right now, for maximum adoption, timing is not great (ie. a lot of mobile users just upgraded during the holiday phone sales). If they announce the device at the end of Feb with a release date in March (or at the latest, early April), then there will be more users ready to upgrade and buy the phone.

Also, since there are already lots of rumors regarding this phone, HTC is enjoying the free publicity. So why not enjoy it a bit longer til MWC?

Would like to see where they dont have such a big Sense UI, my first smartphone was an HTC Evo, really liked the phone, but after trying my S3 , Sense is to much to me, more minimalistic approach would be better

can’t wait to read the specs on this. seems like before we settle on current generation phones, rumor mill begins on the next generation. I can’t buy a ‘future proof’ phone anymore. Looks like Nexus 4, Note 2 are safe ‘for now’.